A high-energy jukebox musical charting King’s rise from plucky unknown to breakout superstar, Asolo Repertory Theatre’s production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is a beguiling beast of a production in all the best ways, somehow managing to be both a candy-coated toe-tapping romp through the music of yesteryear and a quiet but deeply affecting story of a woman finding her voice through betrayal and self-doubt. One moment, you’re fighting not to sing along; the next, you’re fighting back tears. And when they do eventually fall, they’ve become tears of laughter at the most hilariously self-serious and stoic performance of You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling you’re likely to ever see.

And that’s just Act 1.

Julia Knitel shines in the lead role—and not just because of her musical talents (but also because of those). As the central dramatic figure, it often falls to Knitel to carry the emotional weight of the narrative, buoying the audience with her exuberant presence and then breaking their hearts with a single inflection or crack of the voice. She’s the heart of the play and she wears it on her sleeve.

As the boyfriend turned husband turned a**hole, Devin Archer plays the easy-to-hate Gerry Goffin with an intensity that almost rivals Knitel for the spotlight at times, but this is fitting. And as the drama heats up on that side of the stage, Emma Flynn Bespolka and Ryan Vona provide a much-needed comic counterbalance as fellow songwriting couple Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann.

And not enough can be said of the ensemble and supporting cast, who are arguably most responsible for imbuing the production with its wildly infectious energy and good cheer, appearing onstage almost as punctuation marks between scenes, each performance an unabashed love letter to King and the music of the ‘60s. These are also the moments Banji Aborisade’s choreography gets to shine, filling the stage with dancers like it’s an old beach party film of the time. Coupled with set design cleverly evoking the likes of American Bandstand and an explosion of concert lighting, the transportive effect is like the grooviest time machine around.

Onstage at Asolo Repertory Theatre and directed by Shelley Butler, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical runs through January 5.

Pictured: Julia Knitel and the company of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Photo by Adrian Van Stee.

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Supposedly, James Joyce once claimed that, if it took him seven years to write Ulysses, it should take people seven years to read it. Tammy Nguyen, the internationally acclaimed multimedia artist behind Tammy Nguyen: Timaeus and the Nations, currently on dizzying display at Sarasota Art Museum, may follow a similar philosophy.

Through a densely interwoven body of seven paintings, 23 tapestries, a massive artist book in three parts and original music, the exhibition explores everything from Platonic meditations on creation and order to notions of national identity, fractal geometry, and the curious maritime practice known as “flags of convenience,” by which one nation takes advantage of friendly regulations (or lack thereof) by flying another nation’s flag at sea.

The paintings, large-scale, ornate, busy bordering on chaotic. Abstract shapes and flares of neon color abut strange alien plants, moons and stars. A flock of metal doves makes a spiral. Unexplained numbers, disconnected words, isolated musical notation float in ghostly script and hand-carved rubber stamps leave blocks of fractal pattern. Emerging from these scenes of chaos, always a central figure. Here an American general, there a British queen. Two are pirates. All represent some form of order enforced on the seeming chaos of the world. None would quite agree on its exact shape.

Hanging between the paintings, 23 embroidered tapestries challenge ideas of national identity, pairing two countries offering “flags of convenience” and blending their anthems into one, the artist ultimately enforcing her own musical order on what results. The lyrics and musical notation correspond to those found on the paintings, as do various fractal images, and the iconographic connections begin to build. A book by the artist, inaccessible behind glass and raising more questions than it answers, sits like an unreachable Rosetta Stone in the middle.

Highly esoteric but not quite inscrutable, the show is a lot to take in. SAM Senior Curator Dr. Rangsook Yoon admits as much, which is why she wrote a 1500-word essay to help visitors navigate the finer details. Still, she insists audiences should not be intimidated.

“Even if you’re not getting into all of these layers,” she says, “you can enjoy the incredible compositions Tammy Nguyen creates. Visually, it’s stunning, engaging.

“And more than anything, I want people to see the incredible imagination this artist has.”

Currently on display at Sarasota Art Museum, Tammy Nguyen: Timaeus and the Nations runs through January 19. Tours are available Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 11am.  

Pictured: Mother! by Tammy Nguyen. Photo by Daniel Kukla.

Unveiled Strength: Portraits of Intimacy and Vulnerability, featuring evocative works of award-winning Bradenton-based artist Gary LaParl, will be on display from December 15, 2024, to January 16, 2025, at the Lexow Gallery at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota. This collection of portraits explores complex themes of male relationships and vulnerability, inviting viewers to engage with deep, often overlooked aspects of masculinity. The opening reception is Sunday, December 15, 11:30 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. An evening reception is Friday, January 10, 5-7 p.m. The Lexow Gallery is located at 3975 Fruitville Road in Sarasota and is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. 

Pictured: Dinbratten by Gary LaParl received a second-place award in last year’s Art Center Manatee members exhibit. It will be featured in his solo exhibit at the Lexow Gallery at Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, December 15-January 16.

During Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's 25th Anniversary Celebration last Thursday, the Troupe didn't just raise funds ($340,000 through the paddle raise) for theatre operations and hurricane damage, it also launched the Solid Gold Campaign. The seven-year, $10M effort will fund three goals: to enhance WBTT’s facilities, expand its programs, and secure its future. Community members can help WBTT to “Power the Dream for the Next Generation” of WBTT artists through a personal gift, a gift from a donor advised fund, a multi-year pledge, or a legacy gift. Please contact WBTT's Development Director Debra Flynt-Garrett at 941-404-7755 or dfgarrett@wescoastblacktheatre.org. 

Pictured: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's 25th Anniversary Celebration committee, Photo by Sorcha Augustine.

Asolo Repertory Theatre, the eminent theatre on the Cultural Cost, in partnership with The Ringling, announces the cast and creative team for the Sarasota Premiere of All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. The a cappella holiday musical opens to previews on December 4 and will run through December 22 at The Historic Asolo Theater located on The Ringling campus. All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914 is written by Asolo Rep’s Producing Artistic Director Peter Rothstein, with Vocal Arrangements by Erick Lichte and Timothy C. Takach. The Western Front. Christmas. A German soldier sets down his rifle and steps into No Man’s Land, singing “Silent Night”. Thus begins an extraordinary night of fellowship, music, and peace told in the words and the songs of the men who lived it. The New Yorker raves, “A heartbreaking tribute to the men, who, in defiance of their commanders had the courage to affirm their common humanity.” After acclaimed, award-winning runs Off Broadway and across North America, Rothstein’s salute to heroes of  The Great War makes its long-awaited Sarasota debut. 

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Florida Studio Theatre (FST) announces the lineup for the 2024-2025 Forums Series, featuring three panel discussions inspired by the themes explored in the theatre’s productions of Off the Charts & 59^th Street Bridge, The Heart Sellers, and The Cancellation of Lauren Fein. Forums events are free to attend, but registration is required. To register, visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org or call FST’s Box Office at 941.366.9000.

Carmine Ussano of Osteria 500 shares how he put together an award-winning wine list, November 2024. 

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